Aluminium look...but frog...

[lelolo44]

Hi there,
we are finishing the rebuilt of our cessna 170 B, and my friend want s to keep it bare aluminium...
I've checked and skins are Alclad, so i guess we can think it won't corrode like mad right ?
Now when you want to drop at european fly-ins you would be glad knowing people find the appearance great....
May someone give us the tip so that we use the right product and method to make the aluminium shiny ??
Thanks again ....(his cessna is nearly finished but i didn't work on my yak.....)

[GAHorn]

There are many good products in the market that do this job just fine, and despite their marketing claims, they all work just about the same.
"Rolite" is a popular product used by many Oshkosh participants because it doesn't harm the perspex/plexiglas when accidentally touched by the buffer.
Another product is Nuvite, which has an excellent online tutorial :
http://www.perfectpolish.com/

[Dave Clark]

When I was polishing my C195 I think I tried most all of them. I like Flitz, and as memory serves correctly Blue Magic. Many of these are similar but I would stay away from any containing any grit whatsoever. You should be able to get Flitz in Frogland.

I try to avoid a circular motion because you will more easily see the swirls. Go in straight lines, when the material gets black it's starting to work for you. Sections of about 1/2 square meter for starters.

If you want to use a power buffer use a "Cyclo" orbitual sold by most Aviation tool houses, NOT a conventional wheel pad buffer.

[N2865C]

These sites have everything you need to know about polishing. Every award winning aircraft I have seen uses Nuvite. It's a lot of work. Expect to spend about 30 to 50 hours a year polishing depending on where you live and how much you fly if you want a great polish job. Just keep telling yourself that the world is a much better place with polished airplanes! The Swift video is worth the $35 bucks.

http://www.perfectpolish.com

http://www.nuvitechemical.com/

http://www.swiftaire.com/swiftparts/

jc

[GAHorn]

These sites have everything you need to know about polishing. Every award winning aircraft I have seen uses Nuvite. It's a lot of work. Expect to spend about 30 to 50 hours a year polishing depending on where you live and how much you fly if you want a great polish job. Just keep telling yourself that the world is a much better place with polished airplanes! The Swift video is worth the $35 bucks.

http://www.perfectpolish.com

http://www.nuvitechemical.com/

http://www.swiftaire.com/swiftparts/

jc

You've not seen very many then. Rolite is the preferred polish, according to the majority of Oshkosh display aircraft owners. The Nuvite is a comparable product and should behave the same, however.
My aircraft was last polished with Rolite in 1997, is kept in a hangar, and needs it's first touch up re-polish this year (to remove a patina of grey and some water spots from sitting a week in the rain during the last convention.) Don't know that Rolite is any better than Nuvite, but I consider it like I do Quaker State motor oil. (I've had several autos/trucks that went over 250K miles without difficulty. I cannot prove that Quaker State motor oil got them that far.....I can only state without error that Quaker State did not prevent them from getting that far!)

[Dave Clark]

Speaking of water spots on a polished airplane... I used to use Glass Wax to clean the skins between polish jobs. It helped a lot. Wipe on, Wipe off as the Master said, Butterfly.

[R COLLINS]

Hello,
I like others have tried numerous brands of polish. Even paid $48 for a can of Supra 90 by Rolite and was disappointed. It did work well on the windshield though. I did like the results Blue Magic gave at the reasonable price of $7. Lately, I have been using a brand called Easy that is a liquid because it is not as messy and is easier to apply to cloth. One thing to watch for is the polishes that contain ammonia, so read the labels. I have a cyclo-orbital polisher and an automotive type, you can't tell the difference in them if you use a terry towel over the buffer pad. This method can be seen on the perfect polish site above. Still saving my egg money to spring for a can of the Nuvite. Randal

[Dave Clark]

I sold the 195 ten years ago and the grey hair causes me to forget but Blue Magic was my favorite of all polishes.

[funseventy]

I have a lot of experience, like Dave, with a polished 195. Blue Magic and Flitz were the polishes of choice, but I don't believe it got anywhere close to what I see with Nuvite. I am also a big believer in Glass Wax between polishings. Glass Wax can be found at True Value it is easy to find on the shelf; it is a metal quart container that is pink with red print.

[Dave Clark]

Oh yeah, one other thing I remember now. To get the really deep shine once every coiple of years I would have to clean the skins with Alumaprep (phosphoric acid) the same stuff you would use prior to painting. DON'T use the maroon scotchbrite pad though, just apply with a rag and rinse off. Yes it will turn the skins white but that comes back to a shine with no extra polishing time. Try it, it's amazing how much better it will look. It pulls all the old dirt out, rather like a clay bar on paint.

[spiro]

on another forum I used to frequent they always talked about using corn starch. And these were guys w/ a lot of polished airplane experience. I personally don't know, I don't even wash mine <g>.

[Dave Clark]

The corn starch is used by some to help clean off the used polish as it absorbs it. I tried it but it was way too messy for the slight benefit.

[GAHorn]

After polishing it's common for black residue to accumulate at rivet heads and skin-laps. A common method to remove that stuff is to finish-polish it with ordinary flour. (Maybe that's where they get the All-purpose designation for some flour?)

[N1478D]

After polishing it's common for black residue to accumulate at rivet heads and skin-laps. A common method to remove that stuff is to finish-polish it with ordinary flour. (Maybe that's where they get the All-purpose designation for some flour?)

And then you provided SLOW RISING to the mix George!

[C170BDan]

In my opinion I believe that Nuvite is the best. Process is good and the "black" comes off very easy compared to other types of polish. Last I checked Glass Wax is no longer available but the Nuvite Company makes a comparable product called Nuimage. Works in much the same way as Glass Wax with even better results! Sample of Nuvite polish results on page 94 of the November 1999 issue of FLYING magazine!